Kismet - Halifax

Amazing place, really recommend if you are visit Halifax. We took the oysters, tonneta, cod and halibut, it was delightful. The cocktails are great and unique also. What a great evening !

Easily the best restaurant in Halifax. We’ve eaten at many places on our 3 trips to Halifax, and they’ve all been pretty meh. Fortunately we found Bar Kismet and it will now be our “must go” spot for any future visits. Here’s what we had in order from “omg” to “wow, also very delicious”1. Cod. Omg. They hired a wizard to invent this magical dish. There is no other explanation for how amazing it is.2. Carrots with crab. Phenomenal.3. Tuna tartare. Mega good. Larger than expected with a good portion of incredible skinny fries.4. Scallops. Super good.5. Radish and tonnato. Wow, also very delicious.Service was outstanding. The server recommended the cod as a stand out special dish, and he was right. I love it when a server doesn’t just say “everything is good!” Or “it depends on what you’re in the mood for” when asked what’s good on the menu. He didn’t hesitate to steer us to the cod.Anyway, stop looking up Halifax restaurants right now. You did it. You found the best one. Just book your reservation right now.Oh, and here’s a hot tip: if you can’t get a reservation, just show up at 5pm and check if they have a table for you. That’s what we did, and we were thrilled to get a table in their patio out back.Parking: Found parking on the street easily

Decided to book our final meal while on vacation here, and it did not disappoint!Drinks:If you love cocktails, you'll love this place. The are always rotating what's on the menu so there is always something new to try. We tried 4 of the cocktails and liked them all. My only critique is that the key lime and peele drink was labeled as a Bourbon sour, but did not have an egg white foam on top which would have made it look like the meringue on a key lime pie!Service:We were sat at a table inside, but asked to go out on the patio and they accommodated. Our sever was attentive and our water was always refilled. They were able to direct us on what drinks we'd like based on our taste preferences and answered our questions about the food menu.Food:If you aren't a fan of seafood, there will be less food options for you, but what they did have was really good. Our favorite bites were the duck egg, the marinated goat cheese, and the agnolotti pasta. So good. We have the cilantro sucks gene, and they put the salsa verde that came on the side so we could try it and see if it tasted soapy. They also coursed out or food well, so we weren't overwhelmed with all of our dishes at once. My main critique for the food is that the bread you can order is just bread. No butter. Butter would have been nice!

First and foremost, this is a classy bar with amazing food. When judged as such, it excels in most everything. The cocktails are unique and interesting, the spirit list is among the best in the country, service is amiable, and the food is absolutely delectable. However, we specifically came because of it being selected as a top 15 restaurant in Canada. With this in mind, there were a few shortcomings hence the four star review. Our cutlery was never changed out, you're only slotted two hours (even if you're spending), there is no espresso machine, and they don't take Amex. These might be small things for most or even petty to others, but in my mind if you're trying to compete with the best in the country then every box needs to be checked. I'd certainly recommend Bar Kismet to friends and come back for sure, but I am making this review with the #12 selection in mind and for that, I cannot give five stars faithfully.

Wow! An unreal experience. Very rare that we go to a place of this reputation and experience that “wow” moment with every single dish that we order. From start to finish the food, service, and cocktails were unreal. A can’t recommend this place enough, and can’t wait to go back.We ordered the oysters, carrots and béarnaise, halibut cheek, agnolotti, duck egg and asparagus, and rhubarb tart tartan all were 10/10.